This invention relates to a magazine assembly for storing and feeding articles to an article transfer mechanism. Particularly, this invention relates to a magazine release assembly to position and release rigid articles to an article transfer mechanism from the pickup end of an article magazine assembly.
Magazine assemblies are commonly utilized in various manufacturing and packaging processes to store and dispense articles or objects. Magazine assemblies may be gravity fed or powered and are designed to maintain a stack of articles therein, for example, and, thereby, are used to ensure that a constant supply of articles is available at the pickup end of the magazine. These magazine assemblies typically are used in conjunction with article pickup mechanisms to transport successive articles from the magazine to a predetermined location for subsequent manipulation, such as for packaging purposes. For example, the pickup mechanisms may comprise vacuum cups extending from an article transport assembly which engage the first article in the magazine and which transports successive articles therefrom onto a moving conveyor.
Typically, magazine assemblies are provided with various stop members or retention structures which maintain the stack of articles in the magazine and which permit individual articles to be removed successively therefrom. The use of these retention structures have limits, however, and it has been found that large, heavy and/or rigid articles require a different approach to stop and release mechanisms, particularly in high speed operations.
Prior art magazine structures typically comprise an inclined base on which a stack of articles is held by retention clips which permit the removal of successive articles. The individual articles are typically engaged and pulled past the retention clips whereby each article or portions of the article flexes or bends during removal. This removal process, however, is limited to flexible articles and presents difficulties if rigid or heavy articles or objects are passed therethrough. For example, large game boards or plastic cases may be damaged or scuffed when pulled through a rigid clip retention system. If the clip systems are modified to flex, for example, such clip systems may not have the physical strength to hold back the gravity-fed stack of articles and to prevent them from falling through the magazine's exit end. The magazine release assembly of the present invention provides a means which overcomes the problems and difficulties exhibited by the retention systems of the prior art. And, as far as is known, such a magazine release assembly for use with rigid or relatively large and heavy articles has not been utilized or proposed in the art.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a magazine release assembly for use in storing and feeding articles which are large in size and rigid in construction. Particularly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a magazine release assembly which results in the indexing of the first article for pickup from a magazine assembly as it is engaged for transfer therefrom. A further object is to provide a magazine assembly as well as a method of article removal which permit the movement of successive articles from the article stack through a vertically disposed transfer path and which permits the successive removal of large and rigid articles from a magazine so as to maintain the integrity of the article stack in the magazine.